The California Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld the right of cities to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. In its ruling, the court wrote, “While some counties and cities might consider themselves well suited to accommodating medical marijuana dispensaries, conditions in other communities might lead to the reasonable decision that such facilities within their borders, even if carefully sited, well managed, and closely monitored, would present unacceptable local risks and burdens.” In 2010, the Town of Yucca Valley permitted California Alternative Medicinal Solutions, or CAMS, to operate a dispensary in an industrial part of town for three years. That agreement, according to Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle, will expire at the end of the year. Stueckle said it was “premature” for him to make a comment, adding it would be up to the town attorney to read the Court’s ruling and then advise the council as to what changes, if any, should be made to the agreement with CAMS. CAMS manager Brian Nicholson was unaware of yesterday’s ruling and also said it was too early to make a comment on the case.
